Rise of the Diclonius
by PhalanxCrusader
Summary: Continuation of the manga from chapter 107, except with a different ending. What if the diclonii weren't purged but grew to wipe out most humans? Set in a dystopic future with mysterious elements. Nana-centric with possible romance. Read to discover more
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Elfen Lied or any of its characters in any way**

Introduction

Trees slowly swayed back and forth in the beckoning breeze. A single figure stood in front of an all-familiar tombstone. She smiled faintly to no-one.

_It's funny how there is always a glimmer of something left…. Remorse, unresolved feelings… even hope._

She squatted to a level position with the tombstone and instantly curled into herself.

"You think Nana likes being the only one left? You think I like carrying this out alone?"

The only response to her plea was the cold and indifferent silence of an overcast day. Suddenly, a rush of bottled-up emotions came pouring out into the open for whoever would listen.

"You know what? I'm glad you're gone! Yeah, all you did was cause conflict! And anyways you would just slow me down." With this utterance Nana sprang up and performed an almost triumphant pose, pointing her finger at the tombstone in a tone of condescendence.

She wasn't about to stop here. She was free to muse about what she pleased in this haven of solitude.

"It was so obvious from day one what you really wanted in the Maple Inn house. Or should I say who you wanted?" A flood of memories from that lovely period of fellowship with everyone came to her.

_How I miss that time and that place…_

She couldn't contain her true sentiment anymore beneath the façade of how she used to act around her anymore.

"Dammit when are you coming back!...Not just for me, but for everyone! We all need you… and you know who it is that needs you the most… YOU KNOW! Why do you keep us waiting in the dark!"

Nyu was etched upon the bold-faced rock.

"Yeah well… You'd better come back and keep your promise"

_Even though there are always fleeting feeling of hope…_

"Papa! Papa I want Papa!" Even Nana was surprised when she yelled this phrase. How long had it been since she had last seen Kurama? Apparently, old habits die hard. He would be an instant source of comfort, longing, and joy unto the girl who knelt before the grave, tears flowing freely down her saddened cheeks.

_The ache just won't ever go away…._

* * *

><p>After a time of free-flowing emotions and ultimate sadness, Nana knew that she must do what she set out to do. So much now rested upon this young woman's shoulders. Nana felt like she was surviving and waiting… just waiting. She got up from the grave and headed out of the cemetery. She had visited this spot too many times to count by now. Nana needed something, anything to happen in her life.<p>

With a look of utter seriousness, she was reminded about her and everyone else's current reality. So much had happened to them… so much.

As she headed out onto a street Nana let out a sigh. However, something began to stir in her that felt inexplicable. It was something of the ultimate longing and that things were going to be different. Something beckoned to her in the corner of her mind. A bright light appeared for a split second behind a wall that she was passing by.

What happened next left Nana wide-eyed and staring in utter disbelief and shock.

A man stumbled onto the street and looked very confused. He walked in her direction and gazed around each way, as if he didn't know where he was going. Eye contact was made with Nana. He looked wide-eyed at her, before he quickly averted his view, followed by gazing at her. He approached her readily and with haste. He grasped her shoulder and asked her "Excuse me but where am I?"

Nana was speechless. Not only did this man look completely out of place wearing very low-class outdated garb, but he was really…well…

"Ummmmm" Nana managed to squeek out, as a slightly rose tint began to creep up her face.

_Dammit, Why did you say that!_ She thought hurriedly.

Everything about the experience was so surreal and extremely difficult to grasp at one time.

_He just reached out to me…. Even though I'm a….. he just….and I_

Thoughts and feelings that made her at a loss for words which she felt like entertaining suddenly became desperate thoughts as reality smacked her in the face.

"Wait, you're…" she said in a rushed change of tone. A sense of disbelief and urgency overtook her like never before as she realized what this encounter meant.

* * *

><p>The city of Kamakura. The city stood tall and proud. All the usual attractions and activities persisted here while the sprawling masses hustled about performing their usual routines. Shops were being visited, food was being consumed en masse, vehicles rushed down the streets on their usual routes without anything unusual or strange occurring. A wind blew down the streets and passed over the multitudes, sending leaves scattering.<p>

"Shit!"

In the alleyway, a man broke the calm with a torrential pace of footsteps which seemed desperate. One foot followed the other with a fury. He broke from the alleyways into the mainstream crowd. He received glances left and right. They ranged from sneers to grins to angry glances. The man continued to run through the urban sprawl, not heeding them any attention seeing as how his pursuers were gaining ground on him.

"What the!" began one woman who noticed the man had run right in front of her. She was about to get up and inquire, when suddenly the realization hit her. Calmly, she picked up her cup of tea that was on a table in front of her. Her eyes narrowed as she said to herself "Ah… human." It was clearly nothing for her to get roused up with.

The man now became desperate. He broke from the crowd and continued to run down a street that went in the direction of the beach.

"No…Please! Not now!" he exclaimed.

Figures wearing police attire began to close in on him from behind. He continued scrambling with all his might. The urban sprawl began to fade. Suddenly the buildings ended. Only the bases of buildings remained at this part of the city, as if they had been blown up by the blast of an unimaginable radius. Abandoned cars and sporadic fires littered the roads. Corpses lined the sides of the street in this lower section of the city, bloodied and undisturbed from their original mutilated positions.

Bitter exhaustion and realization slowly crept up the man's spine as he reached a barricade that was at the entrance to a dilapidated bridge. By now the horned law enforcers were already walking. "You knew it was pointless from the beginning" one of them smirked. "I want this one… I haven't had any action in a while!" another one exclaimed excitedly. The man knew that his fate was sealed. He clutched at the small package in his pocket.

_I won't give them the satisfaction... For my brethren!_

"You treat us like cattle! DOWN WITH THE DICLONIUS!"

Suddenly, he unsheathed an uzi from beneath his jacket and unloaded round after round onto his invaders. Shells fell to the floor all around him.

"Hey, be grateful that we offered you a chance to participate" one of the pursuers smirked. Half of the bullets stopped in mid air while the other half were deflected to either side of the officers.

A set of vectors began creeping towards the human ominously. He felt a tingle on his right leg as a presence invisible to him firmly grasped it. His gun was swatted to the side as if it was nothing. By his right leg, the man was lifted ten feet into the air. He was dangling helplessly by his leg, flailing in shock.

"What to do…" The officer mused.

His right leg suddenly was sliced off like it was nothing and he plummeted to the ground.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sheer torment was all the poor man could experience.

"Let's finish this" a vector grabbed his neck with incredible might and lifted him off the ground. His head suddenly popped off and his body limped to the ground lifelessly.

* * *

><p>In a small room buried deep underground, Kouta looked at the wall. The silence seemed endless in the dimly lit room, except for the occasional whirring of a fan. The dirt and grime on the walls seemed endless.<p>

"We need to clean soon" said a soft, soothing voice.

Tender arms approached from behind and embraced Kouta. Kouta remained silent, with a faraway glint in his eyes.

"Why should we clean? Cleaning is just a luxury now" he asked in an extremely forlorn tone.

Yuka put on a sad, knowing expression.

"Kouta…"

"How long has it been…" Kouta began to say.

Kouta realized what he was doing and turned around and returned the embrace. Although he may feel extremely depressed and useless, he wasn't about to hurt someone precious to him with his down attitude. Kouta gently pressed her head to his chest and held her close. As he stroked her hair Yuka said

"Please Kouta, you don't feel this way… you're doing everything you can. I just…" she paused for a second and continued, "We have each other and that's all that matters."

While this loving touch and expression would normally send pangs of joy throughout Kouta and make him feel belonged, a tear slid down his cheek.

"What can I do for you now? What can…what can I do for anyone now?"

_I'm so useless…_

Kouta was feeling so helpless and useless, and Yuka knew it.

His tears increased in intensity. "I just sit here…"

Yuka hugged him back albeit firmly and proclaimed "Baka you're doing all that you can do."

A mutual understanding between them let Kouta know that no matter what they had been through, Yuka would always be there with him.

_I'm glad I don't ever have to be alone…. But I…I still feel lonely, ever since that day..._

Kouta kept faltering, as if he felt like he didn't deserve to be hugged this intensely, yet Yuka was there to continually console him.

_Kouta…please. When you are so sad it tears me apart._

After a prolonged time Kouta exclaimed "Yuka… I'm going to the surface."

Yuka's eyes widened as she said "Kouta… you can't be serious! You don't have a card."

Reality was an impassible door to Kouta, and he sure as hell was banging against it with everything within him. He wouldn't succumb to the present reality… he wouldn't let the fate of the world hinder him.

"I…" Kouta began, but couldn't finish his sentence.

"Kouta just wait for Nana to return" Yuka said, trying to talk some sense into him.

"It's always with Nana" Kouta returned. He meant no disrespect to Nana. In fact, Nana was one of his precious family members who was still under his roof, and he would die for any one of his precious people. But waiting for Nana… day after day, again?

"I need to get out of here Yuka…we all do."

Kouta grabbed her hand. "Why don't we try again?"

Yuka realized the direction the conversation was turning, and felt uncomfortable. Kouta was increasingly trying to go against what was accepted now and find meaning. Nothing could deter him from that yearning he had for adventure and purpose, which considering everything that had happened to him so far made perfect sense.

"I'm sick of this place."

* * *

><p>Without thinking, Nana grabbed the strangers hand. In a hurried voice she said<p>

"Follow me, quickly."

She began to walk closely to the wall, glancing around in an almost panicked look. The man followed her willingly, or rather was being dragged along behind her by her sudden strong demeanor.

"What are…" he began.

"There's no time. We need to get to the…"

A thousand thoughts paced through Nana's head during this time.

_If we can only make it…Come on I know I can do this…I know the way, I know I can…_

When they rounded the next corner, they ran into a Diclonius.

Nana's expression became one of sheer disbelief and horror as time stood still for her.

* * *

><p>Hey tell me if this is intriguing or not. I like reviews, whether they praise my work or scorn me. Tell me what you think. This is my first Elfen Lied fanfiction and it feels good to finally write what's been swirling in my head for a long time. Thanks for reading!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Elfen Lied or any of its characters.**

Nana couldn't believe the predicament she had just stumbled into. Fortune can be so cruel sometimes. Of all the times that she could possibly run into a fellow diclonius… She held her breath.

Approaching swiftly from the side, the diclonius let out a gasp, but then quickly composed himself. A look of shock settled on his face as he observed the group.

Apprehension shook Nana to the core. She instantly stiffened and expected things to heat up tremendously. Her human guest would not even be able to sense what was about to literally ensue between them. The diclonii were perfectly aware of the mounting tension and hostility, but the male diclonius kept up appearances.

The human male broke the silence with a look of gladness and almost relief.

"Hey, we were wondering if you could help us out!"

He started to walk towards the other diclonius, still clutching Nana's hand.

_Did he say we?_ Thought Nana, as she started to tremble slightly. _Doesn't he know that he stares death in the face?_ In that instant she pondered about his demeanor. It's as if this man was… innocent in a way. He already associated with her as if they were friends, or at least on good terms with each other. To trust a diclonius willfully, let alone approach one…did he truly not know the gap between a human and a diclonius?

The other diclonius' look of shock settled down into a subtle grin. The thickness of apprehension in the air was mounting exponentially.

"Yeah sure, what do you need?"

Nana was surprised that the diclonius hadn't called the authorities or taken immediate action already. She saw his intentions clear as the day. Her grip increased on the human's hand as she couldn't perform another feasible action. She just watched.

" Well… we need some" the human paused. "directions." he phrased as best he could.

The diclonius looked at Nana as if they were on the same page, and he sort of nodded towards her, as if they both knew something. She felt an immediate chill down her spine from the look.

"I can take you where you need to go." The diclonius muttered out in a rushed tone. He couldn't take it anymore. The bloodlust was thick in the air, and to him… that certain urge, that desire for human flesh being torn apart… was insatiable.

Vectors crept out of his spinal cord area as they came ever slowly towards the human.

_He doesn't even know what's about to happen! _The diclonius thought. He began to smile widely now. _Filthy fucking human!_

The inevitable had happened. Time seemed to move in slow motion, as Nana screamed in her mind. Her eyes were so wide at the sudden realization.

_He is going to die…HE'S GOING TO DIE!_

After all this time… after trying to make a difference and help out in every way that she could to her family, she was about to fail her first human contact.

_I can't let that happen…_

Her resolve was immovable as in a split second from the opposing diclonius' vectors being released, hers were already extending exponentially.

Nana was already contemplating what would happen when she killed this diclonius and where they would go… The authorities would already be onto them with the mental sensing and detection the diclonii shared…

Suddenly, the unthinkable occurred. Just as one of the other diclonius' vectors was approaching the man's brain, the man dodged it beneath and to the right. He then pulled Nana with him and behind him.

"Stand back! He has some kind of energy being emitted from behind him!" he yelled. The human's expression was one of utter seriousness as he unsheathed a dagger and held it pointed in the enemies' direction.

Nana couldn't believe what had happened…It was incomprehensible.

_He saw the vectors! _Her mind was literally racing in that instant. Somehow this human could detect the vectors of a diclonius. Not only did he detect the vectors, but he… did what he thought was saving her.

_He… tried to save me_ Nana thought that over and over in her mind. All she could do was stand there dumbfounded and look at him.

The enemy diclonius also couldn't comprehend what had happened. He was initially angry at himself and his apparent bad aim but… how did the human sense that? With an intense mindset, he thought

_I'm going to kill him._

However, when he beheld the human's protective stance, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Seriously? What are you going to do with a knife! Are you full of shit or something? Even a gun wouldn't save you…"

The man interrupted him with a sudden sharp and serious tone.

"Why are you doing this? We haven't done anything to you."

The diclonius stopped chuckling and stared at him intensely.

"How dare you talk to me that way you filth. Know your place human. And why are you defending a diclonius?" He paused. "She was probably just going to turn you in."

With this utterance, Nana clenched up and could only watch the horrible revelation fill the man's head. She felt utterly helpless. All she wanted to do was rescue the human and kill the diclonius. She would than explain everything to the human and comfort him from his truly desperate situation, and then…

_But why… why can't I do anything at a time like this?_

Nana felt pangs of guilt tugging at her heart. It was such a crippling, immobilizing force that she was left observing, wishing she could do something. She felt guilt that…

"What are you..." The human began to say, when he turned around to look at Nana. As he turned he sought to get a reassuring and accepting look from Nana, but he stopped mid-sentence.

The diclonius girl had strange energy waves emitting from her back as well.

The human looked at her and paused. His expression went from one of an assuring glance to a look of wide-eyed terror. He looked into Nana's eyes and he visibly faltered.

Nana stared into his eyes and beheld his fear. She didn't sense the warmth in his expression from earlier. Instantly tears clouded her vision.

_No… Please no! He… fears me_

"No! Please, it's a misunderstanding. I'm… not one of them" She managed to say through her falling tears. She gestured towards him with her human arms in an inviting way, as if she was laying herself down before him. Her gaze was one of desperation and longing to communicate so many things at once.

The human trembled slightly and looked at her. He took a step back and looked back and forth between Nana and the other diclonius. Just then the other diclonius spoke

"Didn't you notice the horns? How could you possibly think you were the same you shit!" Just to squelch any semblance of hope the human might harbor, he added "She was going to kill you with those vectors just as I was!"

The man felt a sensation of absolute horror and betrayal. He had noticed the peculiar horns when he first met the girl, but he didn't think anything about them distinguishing someone from a human. He looked at Nana with a piercing look of his vulnerability. It was too much for her to bear.

"Please! I'm on your side!" She yelled as she fell to her knees "I like humans!"

Just then a vector came crashing through the man's upper right torso. The diclonius saw an opportunity to attack swiftly and he used it.

Blood spurted from the man's mouth as he fell to the ground. He struggled on his knees clenching his arms to the ground before falling face first. The world was swallowed in a sea of black for him as inexplicable pain consumed his being.

Nana was screaming in horror and there were no end to her tears in that moment of utter hopelessness.

* * *

><p>Kouta couldn't take sitting in that bunker-like existence anymore. He had to get to the surface. After Yuka went to sleep, he slowly removed her arms from around him and kissed her forehead. He headed towards the opening.<p>

Slowly but surely, Kouta ascended the long ladder that led to the surface. Strapped to his back was a Remington 700 sniper rifle. Hesitantly, he turned the wheel that opened the hatch door. After a click ensued, he lifted the hatch a few inches and peered out of the opening.

It was astounding how similar the scenery still was from long ago. A forest greeted him at the surface. He couldn't count how many times he had traversed these wooded lands.

Since the coast was clear, he emerged from the hatch and sealed it shut. He then proceeded to cover it with overgrowth and grasses.

Kouta made his way in an all-too familiar direction. After a hearty walk, he chanced upon a stone that was set near a tree. By now he wasn't even thinking about the possible dangers of this journey. He stood still for a long time gazing at it.

"_On the last day of the Summer festival… Please come to that place"_

After all, it was sometime near the end of the summer festival Kouta was pretty sure. However, keeping track of time in these current conditions was becoming increasingly difficult.

"Well, I've kept up my end of the deal" Kouta said, as he sat in front of the stone from a tree opposite of it.

Kouta sighed to himself as he sat for a long time in silence. Kouta was pretty sure he had performed this routine five or six times since her departure.

"Kaede…" he murmured. He was about to reminisce and let out his emotions, when he suddenly heard something in the far distance.

Kouta straightened up. Instinctively, he looked everywhere frantically. He quickly climbed a tree that had a lot of branches which would impede an enemies' vision.

Kouta heard the same faint noise again. He peered through his scope and adjusted it for maximum vision in the direction. Diclonii seemed to be moving towards a road closer to the city limits of Kamakura. Upon closer inspection, they appeared to be the police. There seemed to be some sort of commotion ensuing.

In his sights, Kouta saw a single diclonius who was closer to him than the rest. He followed it for a minute, never taking his sights off of it.

Kouta clenched the gun and a stray tear poured down his face. He didn't care of the diclonii were trying to exterminate the humans… Kouta still thought their pink hair, eyes and horns were so beautiful. All he could think about was Kaede at the end of the sights.

He could have picked off this diclonius, making humanities' efforts to survive one less to achieve, but he didn't.

Kouta stifled a sob as he proclaimed to himself, "She is just so beautiful… She was so beautiful." He couldn't do it, he couldn't kill one who was like Kaede even though if that diclonius had the chance she would probably easily kill humans.

At this moment, Kouta felt the horrible feelings of remembrance of killing Nyu with his own hands.

"I can't do it…" he said. "I can't kill again."

Suddenly, his attention was drawn to where the group of diclonii were converging. There appeared to be… a fight going on. He couldn't see things very clearly, but suddenly his eyes widened.

"Nana has been out for longer than usual…"

_Can it be?_ He thought in a frantic mode. _NO! NO!_

He thought he saw a familiar blue dress among the rabble. Now his finger neared the trigger. He was at the limit of just being out of range and Maximum range. He watched the commotion with a panicked look.

_Dammit I should be closer!_

"Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay" he said in a rushed tone to himself. His finger lay on the trigger, ready to squeeze at a moment's notice.

* * *

><p>Nana's whole body trembled visibly.<p>

_I've failed… I couldn't even protect him_

The other diclonius rolled up his sleeves. "Wait were you actually helping it?" he stuttered out in surprise. "Why do you sympathize with this lower life form?"

Nana knelt down and cradled the fallen human in her arms. All she could think about was him as the world turned on beside her.

Nana felt a hidden wellspring of rage swell within her. Whatever the cost, she had to take vengeance. Looking at the other diclonius with the most serious, piercing look, her vectors began to swell to terrifying lengths. She was going to bask in his blood and mangled flesh.

_You killed someone precious to me…_

The other diclonius noticed this and suddenly hesitated and stepped back. Other diclonii were starting to arrive in the vicinity he noticed.

"Hey, I didn't kill him. He could be taken to the arena, where he could receive treatment."

Suddenly Nana's vectors started to recede. Her look changed from one of utter ravenous hatred to one of urgency. No matter the terrible situation she found herself in, there was only one thing she could think about.

_He might be alive…_

"He'll die if he's not."

That was all that mattered now. No matter what she had failed to do, if there was a chance for him… Even if she didn't go down killing everyone for his sake, she wanted him to live. Despite her failure, she valued his life so immensely. She would shoulder the burden for him.

Ten diclonii cops surrounded them.

The enemy diclonius piped up "He would be very amusing in the arena!"

One of the officers beheld the situation. "Were you… helping the human?"

Nana didn't respond. She simply knelt on the floor crestfallen.

"Give him to us" one of the officers said.

She felt utterly conflicted. Nana knew that the arena might as well be called a death sentence. She had no way to save him. She wanted to try and kill everyone than take him away and…and… what then?

_I don't want you to die… I don't want you to die_

Nana did what she never thought was godly possible.

Nana stood up, looking somber and eyes glazed over with sadness. She silently took a step back and just stood there.

After a dragged out silence she said with barely any strength "… Please save him…"

One of the officers smirked. "That's a good girl." He said. Two officers came and began dragging his body away from her. "Now run along home. This is a place for adults."

Nana slowly began walking away.

"This shit saw my vectors" said the other diclonius, motioning towards the limp human body. Nana overheard this, but kept walking. The only thing on her mind… was heartbreak.

_I am abandoning him…_

She felt so horrible that tears could not even surface.

_How can I walk away right now? You know that he will just die in the arena_

Nana walked with an air of intense weight on her shoulders. She wasn't going anywhere. She just couldn't bear to look at the grizzly sight… at how she was letting it happen. She was just wandering.

_I can't even save a human… I can't even do anything…Papa what would you think of me now? I am trash…_

The realization hit her as she wandered aimlessly.

_I never even got his name…_

* * *

><p>Kouta took his eye off his sights. Without thinking, he started climbing down the tree and rushing in the direction he had seen Nana walking.<p>

_Nana I'm coming!_

Risk wasn't even on his mind currently. He only thought about his fear and care for Nana as he ran in her direction. He had a really ominous, bad feeling about the whole situation.

He rushed past the stone without looking at it. He knew that he would kill, do anything for his precious people and… Kaede would want it that way.

* * *

><p><em>Yuka was in the kitchen preparing a delicious meal for everyone at the Maple Inn.<em>

"_That smells delicious! Can Nana help!" Nana entered the room striking a really cute pose._

"_Ah Nana, yeah you can… um watch the fish as they are cooking"_

"_Nana can do that!" she yelled full of excitement, as she winked and stood in front of the oven and just stared at the oven. _

_There was a knock at the front door._

_Suddenly, Wanta started barking at the front door._

"_Wanta, what is it?" said Mayu, as she approached the dog. "Geese settle down boy, I'll get it!"_

_Wanta looked really apprehensive and kept growling and barking at the door._

_Mayu went to open the door._

_A young diclonius stood there and looked at her._

Yuka bolted up from her sleep breathing heavily. She clenched herself.

_Why do I always dream about that day? _

Suddenly, she noticed that she was alone in bed.

"Kouta?" There was no response.

_He must have gone out!_

The silence of the room was suffocating. She clenched a pillow and laid on the bed, breathing heavily.

_I feel lonely enough after remembering that day… I don't need more people leaving me_

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Hey thanks for reading my second chapter. I probably should have clarified that Italics can be thoughts or flashbacks depending on how it's used, but I'm sure you knew that already. Please leave your reviews and thoughts!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Elfen Lied or any of its characters in any way.**

"An evacuation has been issued for area 12…"

A figure stood motionless in front of the monitors. Dimly lit hallways lined this facility while countless machines whirred and buzzed, completing their daily duties.

_Yet another area has succumbed to the invasion_ the man thought. The light reflected off of his glasses from the monitor.

Chaos ensued in the hallways of this facility. Scientists and security personnel were scrambling for dear life in the narrow corridors.

A security personnel stopped at the doorway where the man stood beholding the ensuing chaos in front of the monitors.

"Kurama, the signal has been…"

"I know" he replied, with a seeming lack of emotion for the situation they currently found themselves in. The security guard continued running.

Another barrage of Mark 7 type guns battered the already hammered facility. The earth shook and several people fell to the floor without prior time to brace themselves. The facility was starting to break apart. However, Kurama was oddly calm as he paid no heed to the constant nagging alarm that sounded.

"Why is this not a surprise anymore?" he said to no-one in particular.

_So much for one of the last remaining strongholds._

The number of facilities and government underground fortresses was dwindling quickly. It was obvious that the diclonii were going to completely obliterate the few remaining free countries on earth soon. In fact, of the countries that remained, their territory had been vastly reduced by now. However, the question as to when they would fall was still up in the air. Depending on the time that the UN could resist the invasion forces by drawing upon the few free countries' militaries…

_If only there was more time…_ Kurama clenched his fist in anger. _We were on the verge!_ Something was in development already, but…

New bombs began to fall on the facility. Interestingly, Kurama could already tell what kind they were by the shock that ensued.

_So they already have air superiority as well_.

With this thought, he started his way out of the room, yet still at a leisurely pace. Due to where the enemy's forces were and the delaying force present at the sight, there was more than enough time to evacuate onto the submarines. The remaining battleships would prove to be a force to break through by Russia's remaining Navy. Also, the might of the sky (US Airforce) was supposed to be reinforcing the site soon, which wouldn't be enough to stave off the immense force, but it would give them more time and possibly wound the diclonii fleet in the process. There was plenty of time to evacuate… no time for panic yet.

Suddenly a special sensor alarm went off.

Kurama's eyes widened. War machines and vehicles that cause mass destruction were truly terrifying. But engrained in his mind, there was nothing more terrifying than…

"Diclonii detected on site. Repeat Diclonii detected on site."

For the first time in this whole affair, fear began to trickle down Kurama's spine. Suddenly he began to run. After seeing the devastation of the diclonii in several cases at firsthand… he knew what they were capable of.

_Oh God… They had a landing force!_

He stopped briefly and grabbed a fully loaded AK-47 out of a locker that was prepared for a crisis such as this. He then proceeded to run at full sprint to the predetermined escape route. Sure, many people lay dead from the blasts of the bombs, but he knew that the worst was to come.

Kurama glanced back quickly at the long hallway he had run down. A security officer at the end was screaming and firing his gun around the corner. Blood splattered from around the corner as he was torn in half. The grizzly sight was followed by a diclonius stepping around the corner and immediately looking at Kurama at the far end of the hallway.

_Oh Fuck!... Oh God!_

Kurama would not linger here, as he kept running the way he was going originally. By now, the number of dead bodies was increasing drastically. Security personnel and scientists were strewn about at gruesome angles in the hallways.

He finally made it to the stairs that lead to the various submarines. Several submarines had already departed, while several were blown up or extremely damaged. He boarded the last usable one where people were gathering desperately and boarding.

As he was entering the hatch, he looked back and saw the same diclonius, looking directly into his eyes at the far side of the room. This glance pierced his very being.

Kurama felt pangs of terrible, suppressed feelings resurfacing. Even though the humans were now the desperate, cornered ones…

_What I used to do to them in places like this…_

With this thought, he sealed the hatch.

"There's no time, we are taking off now!" came a rushed voice of the captain over the intercom.

Destruction was ensuing everywhere and the facility was about to come crashing down. Apparently, they made it out just in time.

Kurama walked over to a wall of the vessel and took a seat. He sighed and had a faraway look. Now his mind had the liberty of wandering and musing over an unspoken amount of feelings that this experienced stirred within him. Images of Nana instantly filled his mind.

_Nana…_

* * *

><p>Kouta hurried between the trees. Caution was completely thrown to the wind as he rushed in Nana's direction. Fortunately there were no lingering diclonii in the forest.<p>

Judging by the direction she was heading, Kouta estimated where she would be. He stopped in a clearing and glanced around. A lone figure slowly emerge into the clearing at the other end.

From this distance, he could see a blue dress. Kouta started to approach her, breaking out into a dash.

"Nana!"

Nana solemnly trudged on through the woods. She glanced up at the mention of her name.

"…Kouta?"

Kouta finally reached her. "Nana I saw you in the crowd over there. What happened? Are you okay!" he exclaimed. However, he noticed her condition.

Nana's eyes were glazed over with dried tears. Those eyes, those pools of her… she looked like she was completely dead inside. Her expression was one that Kouta never wanted to see her make again. That look literally was tearing him apart. Nana seemed to look through him… past him.

"Nana was a bad girl…" she said softly.

She continued walking towards nowhere, step after slow step. Kouta had a shocked expression as she kept walking past him.

"Hey wait I was worried about you" he began as he reached out and grabbed her hand.

Nana stopped and stood still for what seemed like a long time.

"Nana doesn't deserve anything…" she barely managed to say.

Kouta stood there in surprise. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew that she was in an extreme amount of pain. He instinctively did what he knew he could. He turned her around. Her expression was so dreary and she just looked down at the floor. Kouta reached for her and pulled her close in a warm embrace.

"Everything's going to be okay" He said assuredly. "I want everything to be okay for you."

He then murmured softly, "I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you."

Suddenly, he felt an abundance of tears falling and dampening his chest. Nana unleashed everything at that moment. She hugged him back around his chest with an extreme force, so that she was positioned as close as she could be to him. She even clenched him with a few of her vectors!

Kouta stiffened momentarily at the shock, but then hugged her back.

"I betrayed him!" she wailed aloud. "There was a human and I let him down!"

Kouta was about to inquire, but she continued spilling herself.

"I could have tried to save his life! But he was going to die if he wasn't taken away to the arena and I couldn't protect him and…" Nana was choking up the words at this point.

Kouta was debating between asking her about the situation and asking her to stop squeezing with the vectors because they were literally squeezing him to hard, and they were increasing with intensity. They were really close together now.

"Hey it's okay" Kouta managed to say through a quick breath, although he still knew nothing about the situation. "Are you still in danger?"

"No… I don't think so"

She became silent. They embraced for a long time while Nana rested her head upon Kouta's chest, feeling so guilty about herself but so thankful that Kouta was there for her. Than Nana looked into his eyes and perked up.

She suddenly noticed how close they were and she could feel Kouta squirm slightly.

"Oh sorry!" she said as she instantly released him.

"Hey wait a minute, what are you doing here?" she proclaimed. "It's dangerous for you to be out here!"

Nana was already in an extremely protective mode, as she glanced in every direction and tried to sense nearby diclonii. She was already beginning to lead Kouta back towards the way he came.

Kouta responded in a perplexed tone "Umm well, it was that time of year and I just had to come to the surface…" but he knew exactly why.

"You shouldn't have come!" she said, as they both started to rush back to the underground shelter.

_I already lost someone, and losing you…_ she thought solemnly.

"Kouta" she said in serious tone. The conviction in her voice was noteworthy. "Somehow… I'm going to save him."

Kouta immediately felt doubt and a sense of doom at that statement. He didn't know if he should say something.

_Yeah but she said the arena… That's just not possible…_

"I'm going to the arena soon."

Kouta's eyes widened with disbelief as they kept running.

* * *

><p>Yuka finally arose from her bed.<p>

_Well, as long as I'm alone there's no point in worrying… Kouta will be fine._

She breathed to herself for reassurance.

_I may as well make myself useful in some way._

"Let's see… I can still work on these routes and possible points of contact…"

Her attention immediately was drawn to the click of the hatch opening. Relief instantly struck her being.

_Thank God!_

"Do you know how much of a scare you gave me…" she began to say, but stopped when she realized that something fell from the top of the hatch. Upon closer observation, the object appeared to be a grenade.

Yuka couldn't even begin to register what was happening here. Fear and hopelessness were quickly consuming the fleeting feelings of relief as she tried to mentally grasp the entirety of the situation. She froze momentarily, feeling a heavy binding weight upon her.

_Kouta!_ She mentally screamed.

However, she nodded her head quickly and blinked. Thankfully, she had good instinctive reactions coupled with several precaution security measures previously taken, and in the blink of an eye, she assessed the situation.

_That's a neurotoxin emitting grenade…commonly used by diclonii_

She instantly dashed for the closet and scrambled for a gas mask.

_I know where it is…_

Just as she was slipping on the full-face gas mask, it erupted, sending toxic gas spewing all across the room.

She made it just in time as she sealed the mask shut. The whole room became a murky green color. She then grabbed a .50 caliber desert eagle that was nearby in the closet. She than knelt by the bed and aimed the handgun towards the door to the living room.

Instantly, a mental battle began. While she had adequate training in survival situations (because any human survivor at this point needed those skills in the world to continue on) she still felt the ever-looming fear creeping up upon her.

_I can't believe this is happening! I'm going to die!_

_Be calm, be calm, be calm_ another side of her assured herself.

Two figures were dimly seen descending the ladder from the hatch.

* * *

><p>"Finally we're back! Do you know how dangerous that was for you?" Nana said with an air looking-down on him for his foolish choice.<p>

Kouta just stood there without showing any reaction. Nana put her hands on her hips while she looked at him somewhat sternly. She raised her voice and looked at his face "Hey Kouta!"

Kouta's eyes widened as he stared into the distance where the hatch was. The sight that beheld him wasn't of the hatch being hidden, but the hatch was dangling open in the air for the whole world to see.

Nana looked at the hatch and suddenly realized what Kouta was really looking at. She stared in disbelief at the hatch, and became deadly serious.

"Yuka!" he said as he already was unloading the sniper rifle from his back and sprinting towards the opening.

_Oh God… Please let it not be too late!_

Nana followed him, already unleashing her vectors.

* * *

><p>Somewhere, in a dank dark prison, a human awoke. Instantly he clutched at his chest. He felt an unbearable pain there, as if fire was continuously burning. However, there were bandages covering a wound of unimaginable size, and it was not bleeding.<p>

As he came to his senses, he realized that he was sprawled on a floor. The man tried to stand, but instantly faltered and fell onto the same damp pavement.

Suddenly, memories flooded back into his mind as his eyes widened.

_That girl... Who was that girl?_

"Woah, take it easy there fella" someone said.

The man looked to his right and noticed another man who was sitting in the corner against the wall.

"Looks like you've been through hell" he continued, than he added "You've been out for a long time."

The man made an effort to get up, but could only sustain a sitting position.

"Well" the man continued, with a sort of smirk. "At least you might die quickly."

The man just sat in the middle of the floor without responding, looking extremely confused.

"I know, it's hard to accept" the prisoner began, but he stopped when the man just looked at him.

"What is going on?" the man finally asked.

_Does he not know what's going to happen to him?_ thought the prisoner with an air of sadness. Upon inspection, this man was a young adult, and would barely be considered a man by means of the other prisoners.

_He's too young for this…_

"Hey, what is your name anyways?" he asked, trying to get a reaction out of him and steer the conversation.

The man was obviously still trying to get his bearings on the situation at hand and where he was.

"My name?" he repeated.

_What is my name?_

The man who was sitting in the middle of the floor seemed pensive for a moment, as if he was thinking it over, than he said.

"Oh, my name is Kurama."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Thanks for reading up to this point whoever you may be. I have a really good feeling about this chapter. And thanks Seraphobia for the review. Until next time!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Elfen Lied or any of its characters in any way**

Yuka gasped. Her heart literally felt like it had stopped in her chest. The worst part was simply waiting for the confrontation. A few seconds seemed like an eternity.

_You can do this… You can do this_ she said to herself as a sort of mantra, although she was trembling vividly.

Her finger was near the trigger, about to squeeze at a moment's notice, almost prematurely as if the tension could be any thicker. A figure appeared at the far side of the clearing smoke.

"Who's there!"

The voice was powerful, demanding even. Yuka froze for a second, and just before she decided to take the shot, a barrage of bullets littered the wall several feet above her head.

_Shit Shit Shit!_

Yuka instantly ducked completely near the bed. With figures rolling in her head, she knew that this was not the desired position when in a gun fight.

_They're gonna sneak up on me, and…_ she thought hurriedly. _I'm pinned! I… I…I'm going to die…_

Suddenly, something overtook the girl.

_Kouta… _She realized how much she had relied on him as a source of comfort in these desperate times, as well as a crutch. After all, if it wasn't for Kouta, she probably…

_And here I am caring about my own selfish life again…_

Yuka knew what she had to do. The look on her face turned to one of sheer determination with a heated look in her eyes.

_I won't let you hurt one hair on his head you bastards!_

With the weight of the situation bearing down upon her shoulders, Yuka instantly stood up and shot off several powerful rounds of ammo. She remembered where the stranger was, but she fired all over, letting off steam from her self-imposed mission and not having the proper time to aim. The shells landed around her. Four bullet holes appeared in the wall opposite her. Apparently she had missed.

"Holy Shit!" the figure exclaimed.

For a brief moment, before another round could be fired, recognition struck. While so many things whirred through her head, she visibly thought that that voice had a familiar tone to it…

Yuka now visibly saw her assailant. She quickly aimed her desert eagle at him, locked dead center down the barrel and stood there. The man apparently had protection from the noxious chemicals as he was masked as well.

"What were you trying to do!" the figure yelled, as he gazed at her behind the cold indifferent mask, seemingly ignoring the gun that was dead locked on him.

"I'll kill you!" Yuka retorted, even though her arms were trembling slightly. Suddenly a shorter figure bearing the same facial mask appeared behind him and stood, observing the situation.

_How am I still alive…! Where are the vectors! _Yuka thought frantically.

They seemed to nod to each other. Yuka suddenly fired another shot a foot away from the intruder's head.

"Don't you dare move!"

_Damn… why haven't I done it yet? Kill them Yuka! It's kill or be killed!_

"Why hasn't she unleashed her vectors yet!" asked the smaller figure, who had a distinctly feminine voice.

_Wait… Could it be?_

The three figures stared off at each other. Yuka's eyes widened beneath her mask. Hesitantly but surely, Yuka formed the words.

"…Mayu?"

The shorter figure visibly tensed for a second, as if recognizing her voice. Then she cast off her mask instantly and threw it to the side.

"Yuka!"

Mayu dashed towards her old friend and embraced her, almost as if the tension which was so intense that death could ensue hadn't even happened.

"Yuka you're alive!"

Yuka was terribly shocked, but a single tear began to emerge down her cheek. She immediately cast off her own mask and embraced the girl. She was absolutely speechless, but so happy in this moment.

"Mayu"

Was all she could let out at first.

_So there really is always hope._

She embraced the girl with everything that she could as more tears started falling.

"Yuka!" she replied, as she hugged the taller girl, tears beginning to well in her eyes.

"It's just… I'm so happy" Yuka let out.

The embrace which seemed to drag on for an extended time was desperately needed. Yuka's soul was overwhelmed with feelings that she couldn't believe she could feel again… Yuka simply stood in the moment of awe and ultimate shock and peace. Mayu spoke.

"Yuka where were you! I thought you were dead long ago!"

Yuka was about to answer, when she noticed that the other figure still stood in full uniform with their mask on. She glanced at him.

"Damn, you handled that thing like a crazy person" came the smug remark.

The man removed his mask to reveal the spitting image of Bando.

"You could have torn my head off."

Suddenly, Kouta's yell could be heard coming from the top of the hatch.

"YUKA!"

Clangs were heard below as he rapidly descended the ladder, gun pointed in front of him. Kouta's look was one of sheer desperation and loss.

_I swear if you even touched her!_ he thought through clenched teeth.

Yuka felt extreme shock and blurted out.

"Don't worry! It's okay…"

However, Nana beat him to the bottom, seeing as how she jumped down the hatch all the way to the bottom, assisted by her vectors.

Nana's look was one of utter anger and no-forgiveness. Her arms were crossed as she was in a fighting stance and ready to deliver death to anything that hurt or killed one of her precious people. Her vectors flayed about, slightly damaging the bunker.

Then, she made eye contact with Mayu.

Nana's eyes widened in utter disbelief.

* * *

><p>Kouta rested his hand on his chin as he tried to absorb all that he had heard from the duo.<p>

"So you guys have been with the resistance this whole time?"

Mayu barely had time to break away from Nana's strong hug and respond.

"Yeah! There's a pretty large gathering of us on the outskirts of Kamakura."

Nana was practically smothering her in unbelievable happiness at this point. She tried to force away a vector that held her tightly, yet succumbed as she realized it was futile. With a hearty smile, she took a breath and continued.

"We heard reports that the diclonii had begun another purge and have uncovered more of our dwindling bunkers. We were sent to disrupt their plans and seek out our brethren… We didn't expect to find anyone alive, let alone you guys."

"The last known civilian survivors in Kamakura were dead three years ago." Bando interjected. He continued. "How did you guys survive out here? This is literally in the middle of the dead zone."

"Well…" Kouta began, as he wrapped his arms around Yuka, who melted into his arms eagerly. "That would mostly be thanks to Nana…"

Nana simply kept hugging Nana. She could not feel more relief inside if she tried. However, she still started to tremble and cling to Mayu in disbelief again. She whispered softly as she began to weep.

"I thought I would never see you again…"

Mayu gazed at her long lost friend.

"Nana…" While all of them were shocked to see Mayu, none of them had more of a visible reaction than Nana. She had already been through countless fits of weeping in utter shock and basking in sheer joy. Throughout the whole conversation, she clung to the girl.

_Thank you… Thank you… Thank you…_ Nana thought over and over again.

"Nana I'm here to stay now." Mayu exclaimed, as she put a hand on Nana's delicate hand and started to tear up. "I'll never leave you again."

They passed a time of lengthy reflection and the air standing utterly still with family's gratitude.

The silence was broken with one word.

"Geese" Bando said through a smirk. "How long are you people going to do this?"

Ignoring the harsh glances at Bando from Nana and Yuka, Kouta finally spoke up with a question that had been lingering on everyone's mind.

"We thought that you died that day." He said. The question had been lingering on all of their minds.

"Oh… no don't worry!" Mayu replied, as she waved her hands in front of her in a rushed manner. "I was able to run to the beach in time and meet up with Bando…"

Suddenly she deliberately changed the subject, as if she didn't want to relive those thoughts. However her eyes brightened.

"So you guys will be joining the resistance, right!" she said, looking all around with an excited glance all over her face. "You guys can come back with us and…and…" she could barely contain herself. Kouta interrupted.

"Well, we have to think about that…" He looked at Yuka and Nana to ascertain what they thought. Nana lit up with a look of extreme anticipation and yearning.

"Wow, Really!" she said with excited eyes looking at Mayu.

"Well…" said Yuka. "This has been our home for a long time. Are we just going to leave it behind?"

Kouta felt for Yuka at this statement. After all, they had already left one precious home behind.

"Yuka…" he started with a gentle and caring tone. He slid his arms around her from behind.

"We already left our home."

Yuka instantly knew what he meant. As she held his arms fast to her side for assurance.

"We've just been surviving here…" he paused.

_There is nothing I would want more. It's time to get out of this place. _

"Now we have a chance to reunite with our family. Wherever the family goes is our home."

Yuka smiled.

Suddenly, a device in Bando's pocket started to beep.

"Shit!" he said as he looked at the camera receiver in his pocket. He left a video camera on the surface just for such an emergency…On the surface, diclonii were gathering in great numbers at a distance. "Well, it looks like you will be coming, unless you want to die."

_No…_ Nana instantly thought. She suddenly looked very forlorn. _It's always me… It's always my fault… I hurt those around me._ Nana's expression was down as spiraling, choking feelings returned to her and as her present reality set in.

"Diclonii are able to follow the mental patterns of fellow diclonii…" he said as he glanced at Nana, yet he said quickly. "At this point we will have to fight to survive…we're wasting precious time!"

The previous cheerful mood suddenly began taking a turn for the worst.

_No! Anything but that!_ Thought a desperate Kouta. However, his will to protect those he loved kicked in.

"Okay!" Kouta said hurriedly, as he picked up his sniper rifle. "Let's move out. I'll start shooting and lure them one way…"

Nana's eyes widened as she remembered what had been stirring in her and why she must feel this way.

_That boy!_

A single tear streamed down her face, yet she had a sort of assuring sad smile. She knew what she had to do.

_I need to know… I need to see for myself if he's alive_

"Mayu… I'm sorry but I have to cut our meeting short." Mayu looked at her with worry and anxiety in her eyes. Nana hugged her close…felt her heart beating.

"Nana! Nana, what…"

Nana than looked at Kouta.

"Look after the family until I get there."

Kouta realized what this meant as he managed to yell.

"You don't have to do this!"

Nana looked at them one last time, and said

"Thank you for being alive."

With that utterance, she ascended the ladder to the hatch and was gone.

* * *

><p>Nana wandered the streets of her once all-too familiar city of Kamakura. In the eyes of her fellow race, she might as well have been a vagrant… wandering without a purpose. She even got a glance or two in her direction for her somewhat tattered clothes. Also, several officers walked beside her, as if it was a procession of sorts.<p>

_They're going to be okay…_ she kept thinking to herself. _They had enough time!_

"It's good to see a new face around her once and a while." The cop said. The irony of that statement stuck in the back of Nana's mind as they continued walking.

"This city has so much to offer. I hear they have a fresh batch of humans!"

Nana looked to the ground as her burden felt like a literal weight. She simply replied,

"So I've heard."

She felt numb, yet she trudged on towards the middle of the city. She was near the outside where human corpses littered the streets. Soon the city would become more high-tech and modern, where the entertainment section thrived in full. A sick, twisted entertainment to satiate the lust of a bloodthirsty people.

"Yep, we'll show you the time of your life!"

On the way, Nana noticed a group of humans being transported in a truck towards their grizzly destination. She grimaced to herself, trying to keep tears from welling as she got a hold of herself and kept marching.

The buildings started to rise and more shops came into view. After a time of the officers talking to themselves of petty things, Nana beheld the towering behemoth. After a while they arrived to the pride of new Kamakura: the mighty arena. This building was truly a sight to behold as diclonii were in the street proudly. It towered several stories high and had all the luxuries and sport a diclonii could possibly hope for. They passed a checkpoint gate which had barbed wire on top and the gates flew open for them.

An officer smirked. "This is where we get the tickets!"

They ascended up a long series of escalators into the futuristic-looking building that tried to emulate a Colosseum-type look. Nana already felt sick to her stomach at where she was going. However, her resolve was strong. She would stomach the horrible feelings for him.

* * *

><p><em>The room was dark.<em>

_Earlier there was something luminous… maybe a light that was on. Soon the light would be on again. Someone entered into the room and flipped the switch._

_The laboratory came to light with machines that operated and various display monitors. Also present in the room was a giant test tube filled with a green liquid of some sorts. In the tube something writhed. _

_A figure with glasses approached the tube and said to the thing inside._

"_You don't know why you're here, do you?"_

_The figure in the tube looked all around, confused by the scenery. _

_The man chuckled. "Well, if it wasn't for her outburst, none of this would be possible, so you really have her to thank after all."_

_The figure inside the tube did not comprehend the statements. The glassed-man didn't care, as he continued._

"_Yes, these tubes that are in your arteries are keeping you alive, as well as that liquid which provides the perfect temperature for your body to acclimate to, but you don't want to hear that do you?"_

_The figure in the tube blinked. _

"_Yes, soon you will be used for great things, given that your body isn't destroyed in the process…"_

"_G…rea..t…ti..thi…ngs" the figure repeated. _

_The glassed-man now visibly wrinkled his brow. He clicked a button onto an intercom system._

"_We need to run some tests now."_

_He looked at the tube and said, "You are finally awakening."_

_The figure just knew that this person visited him and light filled everything._

_The glassed-man put his hand to the glass and looked at the figure inside…_

Suddenly, a man woke up with a cold sweat. He gasped to himself and panted, as he stood up frantically.

"Hey, what are you doing!" his cellmate said as he woke up startled.

"Save your energy for tomorrow and go back to sleep… you'll need all your strength for the games."

Kurama lay back down, free to muse his own thoughts.

_The tube!_ He thought to himself, as he screamed in his head. _When did I…_

The dream seemed so vivid and so real, like he just woke up from reality when he woke up.

Kurama looked at the ceiling with a sense of dread.

_That man…_ he thought, as he tried to drift back to sleep.

* * *

><p>Authors note: Sorry that it took so long to update. It's the time of the year where there's been a lot of transition in my life and I've been really busy. I'll update this story when I can, and so many things are fresh in my mind. I hope you enjoyed and are hooked to the edge of your seats! Review!<p> 


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